2 Corinthians 2 - Smelly Captives

Find out what it takes to have confidence in the decisions you make.

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2 Corinthians 2 Summary

This chapter begins in the middle of a paragraph in which Paul is telling the Corinthians why he's not coming back in person, because their previous visit was too 'painful (v1).' It's not that Paul didn't love this church (v4), but it just seems that these people wanted to be part of the church but at the same time didn't want to give up their sinful lifestyles.

Paul goes on to describe Christians as captives in Christ's triumphal procession (v14). A victorious general would often return to Rome by way of Corinth and triumphantly parade the spoils of his latest victory, including the best of the captives being brought back to serve the Roman empire. You and I are those who've been 'captured' in Christ's victory over sin and death, and now we're paraded before the Father so that we can be used in His Kingdom.

Dig Deeper

Have you ever made a decision that just didn't sit well with you? That discontentment you feel might be God nudging you in a different direction, like what He did here with Paul.

In v12, it seems clear that God called Paul to Troas. Paul says that the Lord had opened the door for him to go there.

But after a time, Paul still had no peace. It's interesting how this short little passage shows that God uses both positive (opens a door) and negative (withholds peace) stimuli to help us align ourselves with His will.

The common thread that ties this short chapter together is our need to live completely in service and allegiance to Christ. Paul is not 'following his heart,' be it in offering forgiveness or determining whether to go or stay, rather Paul can trust his instincts because his mind and will are so aligned with God.

AAA Prayer:

ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: God is our Father who leads us in Christ our Lord;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will be the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing (v15).
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: